“You made them enemies, didn’t you?”

He gave me a wink. “Maybe I did help it along a little.”

“And you are making the Salamanders sleep.”

Laughing, he nodded. “Yes, it makes the queen twitchy. And of course, I was the one who finished off the Enders. You must have guessed that by now.”

I blinked several times, unable to nod.

He laughed and leaned forward. “I like you, Larkspur. I always have. I wish I could trust you.” With one hand, he reached out and touched my nose. On his middle finger was a deep red chunk of ruby set into a silver band. Lines of power flickered around it as though it were alive. It could only be one thing: the elemental stone that controlled fire.

“Nice ring, your momma give it to you?” I slurred.

“As a matter of fact, she did. Quite the woman my mother was.” He withdrew his hand and tipped his head to one side. “You’ll be leaving after this little fiasco?”

I tried to think what the point would be in lying to him. Why would I stay now? Fiametta proclaimed Ash and I could leave, and Cactus and Peta were free to go as well, as far as I knew. I vaguely recalled Belladonna saying goodbye. That the Rim needed her. No reason to say, and yet, I wanted to cover my ass in case something slowed me.

“Unless someone forces my hand, yes, I’ll be leaving as soon as I heal,” I murmured.

“Ah, lovely, just lovely. You’ll leave Fiametta to me then. I like that. Sorry about the bridge earlier. I was under the impression you were helping Fia—by the way, love the nickname you gave her—to straighten things out here. Can’t have that, now can I?”

My tongue was thick and all I wanted was a drink. A long, cold drink. “Water.”

“Oh, of course. Here.” He held out his hand, and in his palm, water pooled, clear as a river coursing from the top of a mountain. He held his hand to my mouth and another time I would have hesitated, questioned his seeming kindness. But the fire in me burned hot, devouring the moisture in my body at a rate I didn’t think I could keep up. He tipped his hand and the water trickled into my mouth at a steady rate until I turned my face away. “Enough.”

He stood, took one step away and then stopped. “May I make a suggestion, Larkspur?”

I stared up at him, wondering if he really was asking. The whole conversation felt like he’d just wanted to talk. Which was weird at best. “Only if you tell me your name.”

“Ah, yes, everyone wants to know my name. You can call me Blackbird. On account of the black cloak.”

Internally, I struggled with what to do. He was an Undine, wearing a ring that gave him power of a Salamander. How the hell was I supposed to stop him? And did I even want to?

“Did I meet you when I was in the Deep?” I spit the question out as I tried to place him. He shook his head.

“We’ve met, Larkspur, and I like you. But you will never, ever guess who I am.” He slapped his hand onto my back, his fingers burying into my soft, tender flesh, blood oozing out. My back arched and I screamed as he dug his fingers deeper into the wound.

“I’m doing this for your own good. You’ll thank me later. And if you care to blame anyone, blame the mother goddess. She asked me to heal you and that is the only reason I do what I do for you. I am sworn to her.”

At least that was what I thought he said; I struggled to hear anything over my own howls into the air. His hand seemed to sink through what was left of the flesh on my back and to my bones, his fingers sliding along my spine.

I couldn’t even lash out at him. My body convulsed with pain to the point of being stunned. A rolling, crushing wave that stole my ability to breathe, think, or even consider anything beyond my next heartbeat and wondering if it would stop and the pain would end.

As suddenly as it began, he took his hand away, bent and put his lips next to my ear. “I’m sorry your back is not pristine as it was. I cannot heal what is no longer there, and Fiametta didn’t leave me much to work with.” He pressed his cheek against mine. “Leave tomorrow, Larkspur. Or I will make you wish Fiametta had her lava whip again.”

He kissed me on the cheek and with a swirl of his cloak was gone.

I sat up and took a few steps after him before I realized what I was doing. Freezing in place I lifted my arms. My left arm had been burned badly, but now there was no pain.

Behind me, Peta yowled and leapt to the floor, her tiny feet sounding more like she was in her leopard form. “Lark, your back, it’s healed. How can that be? What happened?”

Wobbling as I turned, I shook my head. “The one in the cloak, he did it.”

“The one who tried to drop the bridge out from under you? That makes no sense.”

I put a hand to my head. “No, it doesn’t.”

Weak, exhausted from the lashing and subsequent healing, I lay back down on the bed. “Peta, get Cactus and Ash. Tell them we leave as soon as I wake.”

She nodded and I closed my eyes so I might have imagined the rough-tongued lick across my forehead.

I sunk into a sleep so deep, I knew it was not just fatigue, or pain induced. No, this was something more.

I’d felt her touch before, and knew it well.

The mother goddess wanted to speak to me. Which was just as well since I had a few questions for her.

CHAPTER 20

“Larkspur.” That one word shivered down my spine, the power she held in each syllable of my name, a visceral thing. There was no warmth in her voice, not like before. She called to me and I was forced to answer.